Ar Tonelico II: The Second TowerOoh, nice flute action here! Definitely good! This track exhibits most of the lush, adventurous quality of all of the best JRPG music. Lots of layers, great melody, pseudo-old-world instrumentation... this is the complete package, really. Even if it doesn't quite reach the highest heights of VGM, it gets darn close.Also, does this game feature lesbians? That's some freakin' suggestive artwork... >__>

Baten Kaitos Origins: Boundary Between the Wind and EarthSometimes I think Baten Kaitos might be more famous for its music than any other part of the game. When I listen to this track, I think that that is the way it should be. Few VGM tracks really get the "less is more" thing right, since so often less is... well, less. But here, it's done superbly. The progression is especially good and seems to be telling the beginning of a story, just before it loops back to the start. Well done.

Custom Robo(GC): Stroll Around the TownI wasn't really expecting something this solid from Custom Robo, but this is good AND it totally fits its name. I can easily imagine myself strolling around Tokyo in a montage set to this. It's simple, but both distinct and evocative.

God Eater: Under the SunHmmm... I was going to say, at the start, that you can't really go wrong with a violin-driven melody, but I think this one really skirts the line between Going Right and Going Wrong. I really like some of the more subtle touches (the digital theremin-sounding noise thrown in from time to time, for example) but a lot of the song just... feels dissonant, like it's trying to be two different songs at the same time.Still, a very nice piece and the melody is on point, it just felt a little disjointed between the melody and the rhythm, imo.

Live a Live: Wings That Don't Reach0____0Loud.This one isn't grabbing me (besides the volume, I mean). It's good. Solid. But doesn't stand out to me. Does some interesting things at the 1:00 mark, though, for a short while.

Lufia 2-Rise of the Sinistrals: The EarthBefore I clicked this, I thought "I remember Lufia 2 having a great soundtrack". After I clicked, it only took a few seconds for me to realize I remembered correctly. Lufia is one of those weird franchises that I know only by its music, having never played it myself. And, in general, I don't see a lot of chatter about it either. But this music, though... man...

Pokemon Black/White: Route 10Oddly, I have never played a Pokemon game, either. However, unlike Lufia, I also haven't heard any particularly good (or bad) music from the series either. This track is not nearly as bland as other Pokemon music I remember, and in fact even has very positive shades of Dark Cloud 2 and some other games. I like the almost-European feel of some of its instrumentation.

Shadow Hearts Covenant: Old Smudged MapBest dang Shadow Hearts track I have ever heard. That guitar-driven melody is otherworldly. I am completely transported by this piece. Even the name evokes mystique and emotion. Did Mitsuda compose this one? I know he was one of the composers for this game and this track has his fingerprints all over it.

Wild ARMs 4(th Detonator): Over the WindHYAA! I wanna ride a freakin horse! WA music always does this to me, and this track is right up there with the best WA pieces. Such a solid theme in this music.

Dice has generously given me permission to continue where she left off, so without further ado, I'll start us off with some dungeon themes! I'm including final dungeon themes in this category as well but I'll list them separately from the rest.

Ruins - Falcom Sound Team jdk (Brandish: The Dark Revenant)Not even sure what this game is, but this music is really quite impressive. Superlative instrumentation and fideltiy. Something seriously off about that girl's left boob, though, in the artwork. Does it look completely deformed to anyone else, or am I just not seeing it right?

Karn's Cave - Tsukasa Masuko (Dungeon Explorer II)For some reason, this make me want to play... Ninja Turtles or Battletoads or something. It's ok, but... eh. I think it succeeds at what it's going for, I'm just not a fan of the style.

Limestone Quarry - Hitoshi Sakimoto (Vagrant Story)Sakimoto can do no wrong, and it's nice to hear some Vagrant Story. Haven't listened to anything from this game in.... a VERY long time. That being said, this track is solid, but unspectacular.

...more to come.

« Last Edit: October 23, 2015, 05:07:51 PM by Arvis »

Logged

"You know, you're pretty cool too, Arvis. You like good music, good games, and good tennis." - Divingfalcons

Persona 4 - Striptease. Sorry, couldn't resist. It's a pretty catchy theme, and you almost never hear dance music in a dungeon. (Unless someone wants to recommend some tracks from Crypt of the Necrodancer? I haven't played it, so I'm disqualified from selecting anything.)

Eternal Sonata - Seize the Artefact for Tallness: I have no idea what that's supposed to mean, and within context there's far more urgency than is necessary for the dungeon at hand, but it's just dripping with bombastic Sakuraba goodness.

Final Fantasy - Mount Gulg: I know someone already posted the FFIX version, but I actually prefer the original in this case.

Final Fantasy III (Remake) - Dark Crystal: The OST had a lot of underrated tracks, and really the only thing holding this back from being my favorite final dungeon theme is the length.

Hmm. Anyone wanna work together on creating a YouTube playlist of "our favourites" here? Might be a fun thing to share and just put on in the background while we work or whatever. :)

Thanks for taking over Reta. I'm sorry it means I bumped you from the front by merging, if you want I'll lay off the next 'update' so you have sole ownership of your own thread (worst case, I'd be more than happy to work with you as co-owners, but not a big deal if not).

Eternal Sonata - Seize the Artefact for Tallness: I have no idea what that's supposed to mean, and within context there's far more urgency than is necessary for the dungeon at hand, but it's just dripping with bombastic Sakuraba goodness.

Final Fantasy - Mount Gulg: I know someone already posted the FFIX version, but I actually prefer the original in this case.

Final Fantasy III (Remake) - Dark Crystal: The OST had a lot of underrated tracks, and really the only thing holding this back from being my favorite final dungeon theme is the length.

The Witch and the Hundred Knight - Gone With the Dust: Most of this soundtrack is merely inoffensive, but the tracks that are good are really good. This is one of those.

I almost edited out the Witch and Hundred Knight because I'm so sick of Tenpei Sato's "sound" after grinding to fuck in NIS games... but I was definitely plesantly surprised with that one. Very charming. :)

I'd agree with Mt Gulug being better on NES, but since "the accident" 8bit just hurts my ears. :(I thought the Chocobo Racing version was a lot of fun: https://youtu.be/uOgJk4l82uEI hate Sunelth Waterscape because the cheeseball lyrics just kill me even though it's a pretty sounding tune. I offer up Dust to Dust as recompense!

divingfalcons: I've only done Zestiria's fire temple, but hoooolyyy, the difference and music just kinda 'EXPLODED' sound unlike any other in the game. It was gorgeous. I hate saying that as a Sakuraba fangirl, but goddamn, when Go Shiina goes for broke, he kills it with the Tales series. 10 years later we finally get him back to compose.

The Skies of Arcadia dungeon is so pretty and mysterious...and very simple haha, maybe that's why I dig it.

Persona 4 - Striptease. Sorry, couldn't resist. It's a pretty catchy theme, and you almost never hear dance music in a dungeon. (Unless someone wants to recommend some tracks from Crypt of the Necrodancer? I haven't played it, so I'm disqualified from selecting anything.)

When you're young and "don't really get music", I still remember the first traces of 'getting it' when Magitek Factory came on. It was a great tune, it stuck in your head, it was really different from other songs on the soundtrack. Great choice, and great use of sound effects (technically) to join in the melody.

I like the Striptease tune too (P4). Fun sounds and I like the oontz oontz.

For your FF6 dungeons, I like almost all of them, truth be told.FF6 Mystic Forest: https://youtu.be/eIu5pQ5VSLc A song I appreciated more as I got older for its truly haunting sound...FF6 Mt Koltz https://youtu.be/CrfByoCqHtw I love that weird...distortion sound... dun-dun-dun, dun-dun-dun, dun-dun-dun.... I think what makes this song better is when you hear it in the World of Ruin. It's an uplifting song so any trace of that same optimism from the World of Balance is sweet to the ears.FF6 Phantom Train: https://youtu.be/pse4gcBprLk What a cool song. Relaxed until it sounds like you realize you're boarding a train to the underworld. I'm describing it exactly as the context in game, but the notes work so well...

Dice has generously given me permission to continue where she left off, so without further ado, I'll start us off with some dungeon themes! I'm including final dungeon themes in this category as well but I'll list them separately from the rest.

I picked a "successor" well it seems. :P Thanks Reta. :)FF8's FInd Your Way is a fav of mine, but a lot of these I'm happy to say are new to me and sounds brilliant. :D

Star Ocean 2 goes between awesome dungeon themes and shit ones. Here's the good:Rescue Operation. This one just gets me pumped!Pyroxene. This song just sounds 'important'. Real cool.

Breath of Fire V. A few can go here, really. I think it's great Sakimoto took his signature style into a new (non-medieval) world:Power Supply Building This is a long song, but the build up (starting about a 1.5m in) can't be denied. It's one of the last dungeons so it's sound is both serious and confident.

Final Fantasy XUnderwater Ruins. I really like the ambience and build-up. The first hour of FFX is very mysterious, and I like how this song works with that.

Final Fantasy IXPalace of Memory. For a final dungeon it's very peaceful and mysterious. It's pleasant still and I really enjoyed this in the back.Ipsen's Castle. I really like FF9's main theme so attempts at bringing the theme into the context of a dungeon sound great too. I definitely like the medieval angle in this and the chanting too.

Legend of ManaCity of Flickering Destruction. I like this song because I have a human soul goddamit. If this song doesn't make you tug at your chest, you're a demon.Earth Painting. I can't have been the only one caught off guard when the (maybe) first dungeon came up on the map and unveiled this surprisingly catchy melody.

Wild Arms(WA1) Courage. I think WA's OST needs a lot of respect for the especially high quality of sound it had. It didn't sound like a cheap synthesizer, it sounds so authentic. Courage takes from the famous Opening, so what's not to love about a dungeon version?Chronix nailed the dungeon for the 'big bad' hideout. Love it. (WA3) Fate Breaker. That trumpet blows (hah) you away. Perfect use for an "important" dungeon too.

Tales of SymphoniaSearch the Seal (Tethe'Alla). This is a song that's good especially compared to the more chipper Sylvarant version. It's such a moody piece, the low notes on the piano, the drum, etc. I like it. It is a bit of a shame that one song took over all "elemental themes" (unlike most games, even most Tales games, opting for unique/suitable melodies for each dungeon), but I still think it works.Dry Trail. I really thought the "Symphonian choir" was charming, but I do think it just has a solid melody.

Final Fantasy VIIForested Temple. This song is fun and easy to whistle (because I have when I'm bored at work). I think it's charming and mysterious and works very well for the curious Temple of the Ancients and its many weird secrets. I like that one part sounds like a clock ticking by (of course being perfectly suited to one of its puzzles).

Dark Cloud 2Zelmite Mine. I like this song. It's the 'bonus dungeon' but carries a tune that almost sounds troublesome and concerning... perfect for a dark creepy mine?

Atelier AyeshaRain in the Dried Up Valley. This is a song that just gets better as it goes on. A wonderfully down to earth tune and great use of pan flutes. o_O

Trails in the SkyHollow Light of the Sealed Land. Wow! What a final dungeon tune. It wonderfully combines the game's main theme into an epic tune befitting of a final dungeon.

Final Fantasy IVMountain. Not sure if it's because this song is BOILED into my brain. I think I heard it loop thousands of times.... FFIV is no easy game, so you'd probably spend time grinding the hard bits...at least the music was nice.

Eternal SonataUnderground for Underhand. There's an oddly interesting sense of 'adventure' in this melody...for a sewer dungeon anyhow. Gorgeous!A Wall with No Back. Amazing track, I love the deep brass sound and the two bells that sound off at the start. That 32 second mark when the strings kick in make me so happy!Continuous Divider. I think this song is almost perfect. It's so strange and pleasant, hardly what you'd think of with a dungeon tune, it sounds far more 'precious' in some ways.

Oh, we're doing dungeon themes now? In that case, "Darkness of the Mine" from Brave Fencer Musashi comes to mind. Tsuyoshi Sekito is a fantastic composer and one of the more underutilized composers in Squaresoft's arsenal back then, and BFM had incredible music. I would have LOVED to hear him do a Final Fantasy soundtrack. I just love that chord progression about 38 seconds in: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ELbULj1mENc

Ruins - Falcom Sound Team jdk (Brandish: The Dark Revenant)Not even sure what this game is, but this music is really quite impressive. Superlative instrumentation and fideltiy. Something seriously off about that girl's left boob, though, in the artwork. Does it look completely deformed to anyone else, or am I just not seeing it right?

That there is a remake of the original Brandish, available on PSP (with Vita compatibility). And you should buy it. It's a dungeon crawler and it has lots of Falcom charm ... including that fine fine music.

Once again, and in part due to how specific this topic is, go beyond RPGs if you need to.

Chrono Trigger - Robo's ThemeR66Y's theme is so good. It's a shitty looking future, but he's optimistic and this tune keeps me happy every time I hear it. One of my favorite party members to boot. I think just about ANY CT character theme can get an honourable mention here......except Marle.

Unlimited Saga - Vent's ThemeI heard this song once during a bad time and it perked me up. It's super simple, but not everything needs a big orchestra and a hip beat. This song felt quiet, a little sad, but also relaxing.

Tales of Symphonia - Lloyd's ThemeI find the ongoing harpsichord way too rich for Lloyd's character, but the song is super sweet sounding... and I think it works for the 'idealist' the character is.

Final Fantasy VI - All of 'em. Here's the Distant World's MedleyI leave it to someone more calculated and picky than me to pick their favourite themes and say why. I'm just gonna say they all completely rock...classically-speaking.